Becoming homeless on purpose!

Hi folks! Once again, it is time for major changes in my life. This time around, things could go very bad very quickly or then again, they could be wonderful as I hope they will.

Either June or July of this year, I am going to pack my stuff, only what I need, and hit the road on a permanent basis. Yep, I am gonna travel and take photos. Those photos and adventures I plan to share with you all.

I’ll be spending the warm months toward the north western US and the cold winters in the south western US. Well, it will be more like a large migration pattern I think.

Living arrangements will be the most primitive in what I hope to be very out of the way locations. In most places, I’ll only be spending two or three days before moving on. My moves may only be 100 miles or less each time but always to another location in public access places.

National Forests and BLM lands are my objective. Finding interesting and wild places that see little human traffic will be the prizes.

The idea itself is a bit frightening since I will be very dependent upon my vehicle and personal abilities. There will be the possibility of danger all along the way. Everything from mechanical breakdowns to some sort of physical injury to adverse encounters with wildlife. The dangers are great and the rewards possibly even greater.

I will be making frequent updates to this site with posts anytime I get within range of cellular service.

22 Responses to Becoming homeless on purpose!

Ben, WOW! Bicycle even! I may be doing a lot of primitive camping but I have to take too much “stuff” so I will be taking my ancient Jeep Cherokee and pulling a trailer built from a 1 ton pickup bed with a shell on it… Just call me a wimp…or old…or crazy…or…

Ben, WOW! Bicycle even! I may be doing a lot of primitive camping but I have to take too much “stuff” so I will be taking my ancient Jeep Cherokee and pulling a trailer built from a 1 ton pickup bed with a shell on it… Just call me a wimp…or old…or crazy…or…

I believe many more will become homeless on purpose in the ensuing months after the U.S. economic collapse brought to you by a very unwise governmental decision. There are at least three must haves in a transient and homeless existence and they are, shelter, water and food. Shelter, especially on the road should be as light and as effective as possible. Here is a link for an expensive but effective solution.

The tipi style shelter for travel would be my choice as it is incredibly wind resistant and light. In fact there are some reports that they are more resilient to high winds than expensive geodesic dome tents mountaineers use. In some cases you can use an overhanging branch to tie off the top of the tipi and raise your shelter without the use of a pole. Another way is that a person can also suspend a taut nylon cord between two trees and also suspend the tipi from the nylon cord. A small collapsible wood stove the kind which Kifaru carries would also be good. A telescoping stove pipe which nests inside itself and travels well would be good as heat is not only nice but sometimes your life could depend on it.

Here is a really cheap wood stove idea for you. I call it, “The Bendertent Stove”. You can purchase an all metal rural mailbox from any good hardware store. Wal Mart carries them but sometimes they might be a little small. What you do if you can’t afford stove pipe is to collect tin cans, about 3″ in diameter, the size pork’n beans come in. Collect at least 12 or more. Tin snips would be handy here and there are lighter snips that travel well and would do the job. After you clean the cans out, with a can opener open both ends of the cans. With the snips snip about an inch slit on the edge of the can in two places. This will help you to force fit one can into another to create your stove pipe.
The mailbox itself will be upside down when used as a wood stove, (FLAT SIDE UP). Depending on available tools, (after all if you are homeless you usually won’t have much) you need to flip the mailbox upside down and near the end of the mail box you place a tin can about three inches from the end as a pattern and scratch out a circle defining the diameter of the tin can. If you can find a downed tree and set it up on some rocks and while sitting on it holding it down with your weight slide the mailbox over the downed tree (upside down) and with a screwdriver and a hammer (or a rock) make straight cuts inside of the scratched circle BEING CAREFUL NOT TO GO OUTSIDE OF THE LINE making three cuts that form an asterisk pattern. When done pry the six metal points upward forming a hexagonal hole on the bottom side of the mailbox. Take one tin can and with your tin snips snip multiple one inch slits around one end of the can about six or eight slits and bend them outward and place that end over the end of the newly made hole in your stove. I forgot to mention you will need six or more screws. Most any type will work but if you have the option 1/2″ pan head screws work well as they have a large head. Now, with your mailbox firmly resting on the tree you take a nail and punch holes through the little one inch tin can slats you just made right through the mail box. Firmly screw but not over tighten these screws and secure the tin can to the mailbox. This will be a very strong union to which you can now attach your force fit tin can stove pipe. If you can please try to purchase 1/2″ wire mesh to place at the top of your stove pipe and if you remember to do so force fit a piece at the base of the stove pipe prior to attaching it to the stove. This will act as a spark arrestor which is for your own safety. I would like to say to attach legs to your newly made wood stove but if you are on the road this may be difficult, so one suggestion would be to stand your stove upright by surrounding it with large stones to hold it upright for you. The beauty of this simple design is that the mailbox door swings upward since it is upside down for you to place in your wood fuel. Now when the fire is going you can swing the mailbox door downward not completely shutting it so the door now acts as a damper to control the air flow. This will help to keep the fire from burning too quickly. If at some point you do add legs, use strong enough steel to support it when burning wood inside it. I would make bends in the legs with holes at the ends facing outward so I could use tent stakes to stake the stove to the ground so the wind did not blow it over in the night. If you purchase a Kifaru Stove and a Kifaru tipi there design is first rate. If you merely use a nylon or polyethylene tarp cut a hole in the tarp large enough to accommodate the stove pipe leaving two inches of space between the tarp and the stove pipe. BE CAREFUL NOT TO PLACE THE STOVE TOO CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF THE TENT, or their will be problems!

Another scary yet realistic scenario is that some folks actually HATE homeless people….I have seen it… so another advantage to the tipi style tent is the ability for a quick take down so you can escape any hostile environment. Food and water are logistical concerns and if I were homeless I’d make sure I had these things close by. I would take on spot labor or in some cases some would hire you on even knowing your situation. Along with hard cases there are soft hearted folks ready to offer you work. After some reading over the years I have learned that it is illegal to be homeless in many areas but usually not enforced to the point of incarceration. Veteran homeless say you must remain completely hidden by night and always moving by day or else you may get unwanted police attention. If you are going to be traveling looking clean and well kept with cameras hanging from your neck you would probably look like more of a tourist traveling by bike or something and this could work to your advantage. I am a Christian and always pray for guidance and protection from our Lord Jesus Christ. He’s my best friend and can be yours too. I hope you might find this information helpful. Peace, and go with God. Rick

I believe many more will become homeless on purpose in the ensuing months after the U.S. economic collapse brought to you by a very unwise governmental decision. There are at least three must haves in a transient and homeless existence and they are, shelter, water and food. Shelter, especially on the road should be as light and as effective as possible. Here is a link for an expensive but effective solution.

The tipi style shelter for travel would be my choice as it is incredibly wind resistant and light. In fact there are some reports that they are more resilient to high winds than expensive geodesic dome tents mountaineers use. In some cases you can use an overhanging branch to tie off the top of the tipi and raise your shelter without the use of a pole. Another way is that a person can also suspend a taut nylon cord between two trees and also suspend the tipi from the nylon cord. A small collapsible wood stove the kind which Kifaru carries would also be good. A telescoping stove pipe which nests inside itself and travels well would be good as heat is not only nice but sometimes your life could depend on it.

Here is a really cheap wood stove idea for you. I call it, “The Bendertent Stove”. You can purchase an all metal rural mailbox from any good hardware store. Wal Mart carries them but sometimes they might be a little small. What you do if you can’t afford stove pipe is to collect tin cans, about 3″ in diameter, the size pork’n beans come in. Collect at least 12 or more. Tin snips would be handy here and there are lighter snips that travel well and would do the job. After you clean the cans out, with a can opener open both ends of the cans. With the snips snip about an inch slit on the edge of the can in two places. This will help you to force fit one can into another to create your stove pipe.
The mailbox itself will be upside down when used as a wood stove, (FLAT SIDE UP). Depending on available tools, (after all if you are homeless you usually won’t have much) you need to flip the mailbox upside down and near the end of the mail box you place a tin can about three inches from the end as a pattern and scratch out a circle defining the diameter of the tin can. If you can find a downed tree and set it up on some rocks and while sitting on it holding it down with your weight slide the mailbox over the downed tree (upside down) and with a screwdriver and a hammer (or a rock) make straight cuts inside of the scratched circle BEING CAREFUL NOT TO GO OUTSIDE OF THE LINE making three cuts that form an asterisk pattern. When done pry the six metal points upward forming a hexagonal hole on the bottom side of the mailbox. Take one tin can and with your tin snips snip multiple one inch slits around one end of the can about six or eight slits and bend them outward and place that end over the end of the newly made hole in your stove. I forgot to mention you will need six or more screws. Most any type will work but if you have the option 1/2″ pan head screws work well as they have a large head. Now, with your mailbox firmly resting on the tree you take a nail and punch holes through the little one inch tin can slats you just made right through the mail box. Firmly screw but not over tighten these screws and secure the tin can to the mailbox. This will be a very strong union to which you can now attach your force fit tin can stove pipe. If you can please try to purchase 1/2″ wire mesh to place at the top of your stove pipe and if you remember to do so force fit a piece at the base of the stove pipe prior to attaching it to the stove. This will act as a spark arrestor which is for your own safety. I would like to say to attach legs to your newly made wood stove but if you are on the road this may be difficult, so one suggestion would be to stand your stove upright by surrounding it with large stones to hold it upright for you. The beauty of this simple design is that the mailbox door swings upward since it is upside down for you to place in your wood fuel. Now when the fire is going you can swing the mailbox door downward not completely shutting it so the door now acts as a damper to control the air flow. This will help to keep the fire from burning too quickly. If at some point you do add legs, use strong enough steel to support it when burning wood inside it. I would make bends in the legs with holes at the ends facing outward so I could use tent stakes to stake the stove to the ground so the wind did not blow it over in the night. If you purchase a Kifaru Stove and a Kifaru tipi there design is first rate. If you merely use a nylon or polyethylene tarp cut a hole in the tarp large enough to accommodate the stove pipe leaving two inches of space between the tarp and the stove pipe. BE CAREFUL NOT TO PLACE THE STOVE TOO CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF THE TENT, or their will be problems!

Another scary yet realistic scenario is that some folks actually HATE homeless people….I have seen it… so another advantage to the tipi style tent is the ability for a quick take down so you can escape any hostile environment. Food and water are logistical concerns and if I were homeless I’d make sure I had these things close by. I would take on spot labor or in some cases some would hire you on even knowing your situation. Along with hard cases there are soft hearted folks ready to offer you work. After some reading over the years I have learned that it is illegal to be homeless in many areas but usually not enforced to the point of incarceration. Veteran homeless say you must remain completely hidden by night and always moving by day or else you may get unwanted police attention. If you are going to be traveling looking clean and well kept with cameras hanging from your neck you would probably look like more of a tourist traveling by bike or something and this could work to your advantage. I am a Christian and always pray for guidance and protection from our Lord Jesus Christ. He’s my best friend and can be yours too. I hope you might find this information helpful. Peace, and go with God. Rick

Sounds like what I want to do in 2 years. Retiring from teaching, I plan to sell my house and most of my stuff, and pull a travel trailer (home) around. I am hesitant to buy a larger one as I am single and conscious of energy use, but I need it large enough to call it home. Any ideas? Also, may favorite haunts are going to be southern Utah, Western Colorado, southern New Mexico, OR, and WA.

Jim, that all depends on how much “stuff” you need as well as how much you require in order to call it home. You can get some small trailers that have the basics such as stove, fridge, shower, john, and bed with a very small table area. As for me, I haul all my gear around in a converted pickup bed trailer and set up a tent if I feel the need. Check around at travel trailer dealer sites and private sales online and go with the one that is just slightly larger than you think you will need.

Sounds like what I want to do in 2 years. Retiring from teaching, I plan to sell my house and most of my stuff, and pull a travel trailer (home) around. I am hesitant to buy a larger one as I am single and conscious of energy use, but I need it large enough to call it home. Any ideas? Also, may favorite haunts are going to be southern Utah, Western Colorado, southern New Mexico, OR, and WA.

Jim, that all depends on how much “stuff” you need as well as how much you require in order to call it home. You can get some small trailers that have the basics such as stove, fridge, shower, john, and bed with a very small table area. As for me, I haul all my gear around in a converted pickup bed trailer and set up a tent if I feel the need. Check around at travel trailer dealer sites and private sales online and go with the one that is just slightly larger than you think you will need.